Connected, but alone

Online interactions for my personally, really started to happen around year 7. It was just like any other the latest hot new trend that swept through the school –like when we were all at some stage obsessed with handball, Pokemon cards or those annoying little tamagotchis. But unlike these short-lived phases computer-mediated communication did not die out, it is in fact expanding encompassing all areas of life. We all started to learn a new special msn language LOL = funny, ROFL = roll of floor laughing, LMAO = laughing my ass off??, Seriously who came up with this stuff? Even though it was ridiculous everybody started typing this way, shortening words, adding little numbers and not to mention all those glittering emoticons.

Another thing I have noticed with CMC is that often people start arguments and controversial statements there is no way they would make in real life. Maybe it’s because they have found a new sense of courage as the computer screen acts a sort of barrier, shielding them from the people they are arguing with. Either CMC has opened up an entire to platform and medium for one to express their ideas, values and thoughts.

With CMC comes with potential interactional complications as this form of communication significantly differs from real life interactions. You don’t have to reflect your true emotions (unless you type them) so one is not getting the same emotional cues (e.g. facial and body language) to gage the direction / vibes of the interaction. Also it poses the question do these forms of communication allow us to form genuine emotional bonds with people or is widening the gap of people that live in social isolation?

I found this video from TED on online interactions the women speaking is Sherry Turkle titled: ‘Connected, but alone’. She speaks of potential negative psychological impacts of CMC. She expresses that CMC can cause people to end up hiding from each other even though you are constantly ‘connected’ to others. Adolescence who use texting for all forms of communication are missing out on learning how to have face-to-face conversations. This form of communication lets us alter the form of self we are going to present we can add, delete and edit what people see of us. People may be able to tell a message to some e.g. “I love you” but they do not help in learning about each other and how we come to know and understand the ones around us as it gives us the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship. It is actually so interesting and has made me think deeper about online interactions and really appreciate the real interactions that I have with the people I love and care about.